Of all the major spy stories to break open in the last thirty years, the case of John Boyce and Andrew Dalton Lee has to take the prize and the most troubling in its larger implications. Other spies like Aldrich Ames or Robert Hanssen were disillusioned middle aged bureucrats whose spying was an outlet for their frustration as well as a source of additional income. Boyce and Dalton, however, were young men who blundered into the spy game mostly because of boredom with their comfortable upper middle class upbringings. Their betrayal of the country that allowed them to live such an easy life is as baffling, if not as horrific, as the later actions of the shooters at Columbine High School.

Those who enjoyed the popular movie starring Timothy Hutton and Sean Penn based on this book will particularly enjoy the details that the movie had to leave out. Of the two, Boyce's story is the most tragic. He was highly intellegent with a potentially bright future, and secured a position at defense contractor TRW with a Top Secret security clearance because of his retired FBI agent father's connections. Lee, on the other hand, was a dropout and a drug dealer whose life was spiraling downward toward the inevitable bad conclusion. One of the astonishing facts revealed in the book is just how many second chances Lee squandered along the way. A child of less affluence would have ended up in prison long before he even had the chance to join Boyce in his spying.

Author/journalist Robert Lindsey is an excellent writer and he tells the story in such a way that it reads like a fiction thriller. Lindsey reports astonishing facts such as the incredibly lax security at TRW without editorial comment, letting the events speak for themselves. Lindsey's extensive interviews with all of the principals, including Boyce in particular, make for particularly compelling reading.

Overall, a well-written journalistic account of one of the most unfortunate of America's spy cases.

Robert Lindsey's "The Falcon and the Snowman: A True Story of friendship and Espionage" was a true story about Chris Boyce and Andrew Dalton and how they were selling secrets to the Soviets in the middle of the cold war. You see how simple this was, how they did it, and why they did it. I can't tell you much more with out giving something away. Once you pick it up you can't put it down.

At the southern tip of L.A. there's a bridge across the harbor. On one side it's beautiful, the other leads to Terminal Island, a federal prison. Boyce and Lee grew up on the beautiful side and ended up in the hell of a prison cell. Lindsey's book tells how. They did it, but to read of their journey downward is frightful when one considers the extreme differences the two sides of the bridge represent. And the book is much much better than the movie.

I'll preface this by noting that I have only skimmed this book, reading the bits that automatically interest me.

However, what I've seen impresses me. The first convention books (especially _ItX_, _Prog_, and _VE_) seemed to have been designed solely with the idea that the Technocracy should be made out to be soulless and distateful as choices for PCs. _Guide to the Technocracy_ turned all that around, and ever since then, I have been waiting desparately for the new series of Convention books.

_ItX_ delivers. It's one-person narration, but the one person seems to be broad-minded enough that you can take his views as being somewhat repesentative of the convention. The authors seem to be trying to play down the whole "soulless machines" idea and playing up the "engineer" idea, bring the convention back around to its roots from _Sorcerer's Crusade_.

On the whole, an excellent book. Highly reccommended to anyone who is interested in the Techs. I hated ItX, but this book makes them interesting, and (more importantly) playable.

The Clockwork Convention has been reworked, for the better! Not only are Iteration X characters more 3-Dimensional, the entire philosophy of the convention has returned to its roots. They are once again the men and women who are out to empower humanity. Though the convention is still the Technocracy's main source of firepower, they have expanded their horizons significantly. In the first Iteration X book, it seemed as though the human spirit was lost in the machine. In this book, the spirit has been found. I highly recommend this book to Technocracy fans with Rose-colored mirrorshades. We are not the adversaries of humanity, but the ones who empower it.

i found this book at my store and was immeadently smitten by it, i had allways loved implants, so i buy it and i go into more details. it answers almost every question out there about the Clockwork Convention.

this book is awsome and is a must by for anyone who is interested in The Technocracy in the whole.

John R.Christopher's proven formulas for women from puberty to ancient are given in detail in this compilation by Cathy Gileadi. A treasure-trove of instructions for do-it-yourselfers. Filled with instructive and heart-warming anecdotes of women whose unique health problems have been healed by thoughtful, intuitive use of Dr. Christopher's herbal advice.

This book gives just the information every female from young to old needs to know. I've never felt such hope for the future for me and my family.

I have a great interest in homeopathic medicine and I really wanted to put natural healing into practice in my home, but I had no idea where to start. A friend recommended this book, and it is excellent. Dr. Christopher takes herbs and natural healing and applies them to every stage of a woman's life, from puberty (I wish I'd have discovered natural healing and this book as an adolescent), to childbearing age, to menopause. This book doesn't just list different herbs and what they are used for; it gives you the nitty-gritty how-to information on making tinctures, infusions, ointments, decoctions, etc, and how often to take them for a certain ailment. There are also interesting case studies throughout the whole book that make for a very satisfying, page-turning read. Anyone who is planning a homebirth would benefit from the chapters on pregnancy, birth, and the newborn. The information from the chapters can be used to make a very thorough to-do list before the arrival of a new baby.

Hats off to Dr. Christopher and Cathy Gileadi for a wonderful treasury of herbal remedies and natural treatments.

I recommend this book for any Tolkien fan!

This Book is worthy of every reading award the is, this book is pure exlence

"The War of the Ring" is the third installment of Christopher Tolkien's "The History of The Lord of the Rings" series, and the eighth volume of his massive "The History of Middle Earth".

Like the two volumes before it, Christopher Tolkien takes the reader on a detailed journey of the creative processes through which "The Lord of the Rings" came to be. Of particular interest in this book:

The development of the "Paths of the Dead" story.

The development of the character of Denethor, Steward of Gondor.

The development of "The Battle of the Pelennor Fields".

The development of the story of Shelob and Frodo's capture.

It's unfortunate that Christopher Tolkien was unable to finish "The History of The Lord of the Rings" in three volumes, so the reader is left with the story still unfinished. It is also worth noting that these books, especially as they proceed to the end of the story, do not simply rehash the final work. If sections of a chapter underwent little or no evolutionary development, they are treated briefly. The greatest attention is paid to those episodes which were written and re-written, often in very different ways.

I was somewhat disappointed that the theme of Gollum's "near repentance" was not treated in detail, as JRR Tolkien felt that this was a key turning-point in the story. But again, if an episode underwent little development, Christopher did not spend much time on it.

Five stars -- and another "Thank-you" to Christopher for this labor of love on his late father's behalf.

Half of this book is about famous paleontologists, what dinosaurs are, and how they became extinct. The next half has at least 80 pictures and paintings of different species of dinosaurs, and a description of their characteristics and how they live. I would especially recommend it to 11 and 12 year olds who know their dinosaurs. WARNING: This is not a little kid's book. It does contain A LOT of information. It has at least a page on each species of dinosaur, but I think it should go into even more detail on these amazing animals.

We used this book to get a complete overview of these wonderful creatures. The book is large sized and has wonderful color pictures. The text is easy to read for ages 9 and up and can be read aloud to younger kids, so the book works for whole families. There are all sorts of hands on projects, great little pieces about some famous dinosaur excavators and dinosaur moments in history. Of course all the information about how the shape of the continents took place, how fossils are made, the geological time, etc. is there and complete. We were really impressed with the ease in which we could gather information from the book.

I got this book as a gift. From the first page, I knew that I liked it! The detailed pictures show texture and are colorful. It is easy to read and understand. On each page there are different boxes with crafts you can do and interesting facts. (for example, some small carnivore dinosaurs ate their young when they were starving.)

I use this book for research in school and when I write stories. I have read it many times and it seems like it's new every time! If you know any kids that like to read and like dinosaurs, this is a book for them. There are exciting and surprising things on every page!

The Beggar's Opera by John Gay is an artful yet honest representation of London in the early 1700s. As the Editor's introduction notes, it is a political satire that brings to life the actions of such notorious figures as Jonathan Wild and Robert Walpole. In the Beggar's introduction the reader is made aware of the author's intent to mock the recent craze of the Italian Opera, which is considered by Gay to be thouroughly "unnatural." Immediately after that we are exposed to the corruption of a city offical, Peachum (whose name means "to inform against a fellow criminal"), as he is choosing which criminals should live, as they are still profitable, and who should not, as they have turned honest. Peachum's character of both an arch-criminal and law man is interesting enough in his daily dealings; add to that his daughter's recent marriage to a highwayman (who the father then plots to send to the gallows). Not to mention what happens when the highwayman runs into an old aquaintance of his, who visibly shows his earlier affection, and you have what makes to be a highly entertaining, emotional, and educational story of 18th century London. The dialogue is well written, and the only problem a modern reader might have is the operatic aspect. I suspect that the mockery of the opera is not felt as much when read but rather when performed. Note to reader: it makes it much easier to understand if you read the introduction. There you will find instances of "real" London that the playwrite is satirizing. For all lovers of period English pieces who enjoy a cynical wit.

Life is a jest; and all things show it, I thought so once; but now I know it. - John Gay's epitaph As we sit here, nearly 300 years removed from the debut of The Beggar's Opera, it's hard to recapture the effect that it had on the England of 1728. So look at it this way, John Gay was the Sex Pistols of his day and The Beggar's Opera hit London like Never Mind the Bollocks....

Since Italian opera had first come to London in 1705, it had dominated the British stage. Replete with ornate sets, elaborate costumes, unintelligible plots and imported sopranos and castrati, it was less art than event. Audiences attended to share in the spectacle, as chariots swooped through the air & romantic tales unfolded on stage. Into this artificial world, Gay unleashed an opera about the scum of London society, set in taverns and thieves' dens. He tells the story of Peachum, a fence with a lucrative sideline in informing on fellow criminals. His daughter Polly has secretly married MacHeath, a highwayman. Now Peachum and his "wife" fear that MacHeath will inform on them & inherit their loot when they are hanged. After berating Polly for marrying, & not having sense enough to live out of wedlock, they decide to turn MacHeath in, before he can turn them in. As Peachum prepares his daughter for this turn of events he tells her: "The comfortable estate of widowhood, is the only hope that keeps up a wife's spirits. Where is the woman who would scruple to be a wife, if she had it in her power to be a widow whenever she pleased?" However, to the Peachum's disgust, Polly is actually in love with MacHeath and so, to her great surprise, are several other women, including Lucy Lockit who helps him to escape from prison. So, the stage is set for a madcap farce. Mix in a satiric look at the corrupt administration of justice, some political jabs at the political master of the day, Sir Robert Walpole and songs like the following:

A fox may steal your hens, sir A whore your health and pence, sir, Your daughter rob your chest, sir Your wife may steal your rest, sir, A thief your goods and plate. But this is all but picking, With rest, pence, chest and chicken; It ever was decreed, sir, If lawyer's hand is fee'd, sir, He steals your whole estate.

and you've got Gay's recipe for what quickly became the most popular play of the 18th Century, fathering myriad imitations including Brecht's Threepenny Opera. A delicious romp. GRADE: A

This book donates a part of their proceeds for Last Chance for Animals, which is a great reason to get it and help out at the same time. The pictures are black and white but are very well done. The photographer really shows the bond between owner and pet. There are some celebrities posing with 'borrowed' pets but the animals look to be enjoying it just the same. In looking through the book there were celebrities like Paul Stanley, Ozzy Ossbourne and Ice-T.

As a dog lover I just couldn't pass this book up. One of our kids is a rescued shelter dog so I know the joy these animals give back for being given a second chance. They are forever grateful for the new life they've been given, believe me (ours is STILL thanking us :-) ).

This book really is really filled with warmth. The mixer of celebrities is a real pleasure from the old to the current. The photographer has a real talent for capturing the love between these people and their pets. I have seen this book featured in many well respected magazines such as People, In Style, New York Times, Page Six (New York Post) as well as many Television shows. From reading the intro to this book by the Photographer/Author he really worked this project hard and stood for what he believed in. For a first time Author/Photographer he really nailed the subject as well as the photos. This is a must for people who enjoy animals as well as celebrities. I bought two for gifts and my friends are thrilled to own this book. I also read a great review about Christopher Ameruoso from the very well respected (Popular Photography magazine web site) not bad work Christopher good luck...

I have an autographed copy of this book - Chris turns out to live in my building, so I took advantage of his good nature :)

I met Stella too - a real cutie and full of character. She could make a movie or two in her own right...

If you love animals it's always interesting to see the types of animal that other people bond with, and Chris has compiled an interesting collection of photos of personalities and their pets (and in some cases, personalities with borrowed pets), along with idiosyncratic cartoons, poems and other literary gems peppered throughout the book.

The list of people featured reads like a Who's Who of showbiz, music and media excellence: Pamela Anderson, Julianna Moore, William H. Macy, Geri Haliwell, Kate Hudson, Brendan Fraser, Afton Fraser, Rosanna Arquette, Janeane Garofalo, Lisa Rinna, Rachel Hunter, Dean Cain, Bo Derek, James Caan, Angelica Bridges, Slash, Tipi Hedren, Tatjana Patitz, Natasha Henstridge, Christine Taylor, Natalie Raitano, Dustin Nguyen, Ice-T, Elizabeth Barondes, Illeana Douglas, Paulie Shore, Diane Warren, David Alan Grier, Kristen Johnston, Vincent Schiavelli, Lisa Marie, Deborah Mazar, Garcelle Beauvais, Amy Smart, Scott Baio, Gina Gershon, Sheryl Lee, Michael Des Barres, Joel West, Mariska Hargitay, Ashley Hamilton, Sara Foster, Wild Orchid, Alison Eastwood, Paul Stanley, Paula Abdul, Harv Presnell, Nicolette Sheridan, Brian Green, Joely Fisher, Connie Stevens, Jason Wiles, John Taylor, Christina Applegate, Bernie Taupin, Faith Ford, Ozzy Osbourne, Kidada Jones, Felicity Huffman, Kari Wuhrer, William Atherton, Jillian Barberie, Sally Kellerman, Harold Becker, Phil Collen, Maureen O'Boyle, Jeffrey Tambor, Sally Struthers, John Taylor, Angie Everhart, Tim Burton, DeDee Pfeiffer, Ben Stiller, Robbie Williams, Shannen Doherty, Rob Lowe, Cheri Oteri, Anthony Kiedes, Rose McGowan, Courtney Cox Arquette, David Arquette and Fred Durst.

Many of the animals featured in this book owe their existence to being rescued by their celebrity owners (and my wife and I have two rescued cats so we know something of the difficulties that such owners can face - rescued animals often have traumatic histories to contend with).

It's nice to see celebs getting involved in caring for their fellow creatures; while it may be true that actors shouldn't *work* with children or animals it doesn't mean that they can't *live* in harmony and love with them.

A portion of the author's proceeds from the sales of this book will go to Last Chance for Animals, which is also nice - buying this book is therefore a constructive way of helping out animals who might have no other chance for life.

There is no end to books about O'Keeffe and to the interest in her life and work. This book, howver, has an unusual story to tell. O'Keeffe who had stopped painting in 1971 because of loss of most of her vision never lost her desire to paint. In 1975 she decided to do something about it by creating new paintings.In order to do this she had to use someone else to paint her ideas on the canvass but under her direction. John Poling was a young man doing odd jobs for O'Keeffe when he was called upon to be a substitute artist. The ethical questions that arose when O'Keeffe passed those works off as her own original work caused a furor when a local newspaper published the story. Nearly 25 years later,Poling tells his side of the story. Whatever readers may decide about the ethics,this book gives a first hand look at O'Keeffe's daily life in her later years. It also offers additional insight into the role of Juan Hamilton in her life. The original newspaper articles that broke the story in 1980 are reproduced in two appendices. There is a bibliography and an index. There a photographs of O'Keeffe and related subject matter. There are no photos of the paintings because Poling was denied permission to use them.Now a professor at St. Olaf College, Poling still regards O'Keeffe as a mentor and an importnt influence in his life.

Reviewed in ENCHANTMENT,Book Chat with Marcia, Mutt, Oct. 1999 (120,000 circulation)

"Artists are notorously circumspect about the origins of their work. It is difficult enough to describe to oneself the mysterious process by which a poem or painting comes into existence, let alone to an apprentice or public audience. How fortunate we are, then, to have John Poling's account of painting with Georgia O'Keeffe. Here is a portrait of an aging artist discovering ways to create even after she had lost her sight. Painting, she said, is "like the thread that runs through ..all other things that make one's life." And for one magical season John Poling helped her to find that thread again".

Christopher Merrill, College of the Holy Cross; Book Review Editor, EL PALACIO.

I've not read everything about O'Keeffe but Poling's easy read, page-turning narrative certainly gives perspective to this remarkable lady. His very personal association, that of "servant", student, errand boy, you name it, gives a warmth to her that has not always been revealed. Clearly, the author's good sense of humor, his openness with her and the quick retorts to her candid, frank observations cannot help but bring smiles to readers. The chronology here is a very nice contribution to the history of Georgia O'Keeffe. Douglas C. Billian, Publisher, ART & ANTIQUES

A fascinating story of the intertwining of art and life, of a remakable woman, of his painting with her for a season and finding his own life transformed...he offers helpful insights into O'Keeffe's aesthetic world and beautifully evokes the personal inspiration he found in O'Keeffe's life and work.

John J. Compton Professor of Philosophy, Emeritus, Vanderbilt University.

Obviously, one of my first priorities, when I went to interview John Poling, was to try and determine whether he was seeking some kind of personal gain by going public with his story. We spent, I would guess, at least 10 or 12 hours, in a series of meetings. I backtracked and criss-crossed over the facts again and again, and he remained absolutely consistent, down to the smallest detail. By the end, I believed that his motive was one of ethics, and nothing more.

I found it quite a beautiful story--the relationship between this young maintenance man and the aging artist. I enjoyed the writing.

Hope Aldrich, Staff writer and later Publisher of the SANTA FE REPORTER.

It's hard to imagine anyone who admires Georgia O'Keeffe's art(and who doesn't)not being fascinated by these recollections of the philosopher/handyman who helped paint both her house and her canvases. John Poling reveals insights into the character of the artist herself and of Juan Hamilton, her controversial agent/companion.

Tony Hillerman

I found this book a fascinating confluence of ideas and life themes that allow O'Keeffe fans insights into her personal life and her approach towards artistic expression -- as a well as the real-life story of a young man's coming of age in search of his place in this universe.

It is filled with observations and insights that allow the reader to consider what it would be like to work with one of Americas' greatest artists - and to appreciate the solitary and disciplined life-style that she led -- especially in her final years.

I also found this story to be very sad yet poignant. O'Keeffe was obviously manipulated by her personal affairs manager, Juan Hamilton, and apparently fearful of his reaction to the close relationship that blossomed between Mr. Poling and Ms. O'Keeffe one summer while he was away in New York City.

I have also know the author as a personal friend since childhood and find this book to be true to his nature as an individual - insightful and honest. I would recommend it highly!

The book takes the reader through the amazing friendship of these two writers. I found the book to be a wonderful aid while writing my term paper on the works of Nelly Sachs. The book provides a great insight into the lives of these two authors.

One of the rare available testimonies of celan's personal writing. For those who read French, now his correspondance with his wife Gisele Lestrange, is another relevant way to get to know him, it was published two years ago.

A bunch of letters written over 16 years by two nobel-winner poets. It's heartbreaking. Nelly Sachs, "his Li", loved him, no doubt. Her "dearest Paul" was married with a child. It is fascinating to read how two poets process the most common story among people. With tenderness and sadness and so much dignity. And as Nelly Sachs says: "Love is inhuman". This book reveals the sensitivity it takes to write poetry and how this sensitivity marks your every single gesture, making sometimes life to be simply unbearable. "If only I had you here" Nelly Sachs says, and that is what the reader wishes with her. An unfulfilled wish. They met only once and never again. Hard for simple people, even harder for poets. "You are my light" they say to each other and from the third letter she feels he is her home. Did they decrease each others loneliness, or did they make it bigger? It's up to the reader to decide.

A well-written book examining the controversial gay movement and subsequent religious right movement in the 90s. The authors write in an anthropological style, representing both sides without displaying their personal disposition. This style of writing is very helpful when trying to establish a position on this controversial issue, or when examining the stance opposing your own position. For a novice in the issue of the religious right versus the gay movement this would be a wonderful starting point. A reader that has an established position on the issue, they may like a more pro-stance work.

A good book that does its best to be objective when dealing with an issue that is most decidedly subjective. The book is a careful examination of the political situations surrounding the gay and evangelical communities and their similarities and differences. The authors don't hold back from pointing out the missteps and faults of both movements, and ends with a plea for less fiery rhetoric and a call for civil discussion and compromise. A must read for anyone on either side of this debate

Irrespective of the reader's own personal politics, the highly charged political nature of GLBT rights means finding 'balanced' academic works is incredibly difficult. Most titles either soley focus on the glbt OR far right without attempting some sort of journalistic mediary between the two.

As a diehard liberal, my politics personally go with the former group, but my need for balance in classroom assigments (which included a mock curricula)left me in a quandry. How would I teach about a social group I inately despised (the religious right) while giving my potential students the required information they would need to discern a broader picture?

Looking through the right's own books seemed boring and actual field interviews also seemed dangerous because of the unknown communication problems I was potentially setting myself up for in the arrangement (people spamming me with information after the fact, attempting to change my own politics and/or harrassing me).

Thus, I was personally relieved to make Mr. Bull's concise book an addition to my library. The 1990's were both a time of great political gains and setbacks for the GLBT community, and understanding past policy battles in Oregon and Colorado (among other profiles) helps today's activists prepare counter-response to simmilar campaigns in their own muncipaties.

Also helpful is the book's immediate practicality to intended communities. Even if I can decipher advanced queer political theory with my previously aquired political training, such barriers could inadvertently reduce the numbers of movement allies when the need is most critical. Bull's plainspeak language is intentionally utilized to neither speak over or down to his readers, they instantly know they CAN be part of the solution to every identified policy problem.